[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Rise_Against-band-2006_8375.jpg]]Rise Against is a {{Punk Rock}} band from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, Illinois, formed in 1999 under the name Transistor Revolt. The band was renamed Rise Against before the release of their first album 'The Unraveling' in 2001.

Notably, the band members are all activists of human and animal rights, which is no empty promise. They are all vegans, and live an entirely drug-and-alcohol-free lifestyle (with the exception of drummer Brandon Barnes).

The band has undergone something of a style shift from their first album to their more recent works starting with ''Appeal To Reason'' - from straight PunkRock to a more mainstream sound, although the social commentary in the lyrics has always remained intact. Opinion is divided on which, if any, is the better sound.

* AfterTheEnd: The song ''Endgame'' from the album of the same name features a society collapsing upon itself, but the [[WorldHalfFull narrator and his partner are better off for it.]] Alluded to in the song ''People Live Here''.* ArcNumber: [[SubvertedTrope Downplayed unintentionally]] on ''Appeal to Reason'', in which the final three songs ("Savior," "Hairline Fracture," and "Whereabouts Unknown") all run the same length - 4 minutes and 2 seconds.* BeautifulAllAlong - Tim [=McIlrath=] as explained by [[http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwdrxb6hnv1qfhtouo1_500.jpg this comic.]]* {{Bookends}}: ''Hero of War'' begins and ends with the same two lines:-->He said "Son, have you seen the world? / Well what would you say if I said that you could?"* BreakupSong - "Everchanging", "The Approaching Curve", "Blood to Bleed".* CarefulWithThatAxe** Especially notable examples include "State of the Union" and "Dead Ringer".* UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} - The home of the band and the setting for their videos. Not that they have any particular affinity for it, a bunch of punk rock terrorists bomb the hell out of it in the video for "Re-Education (Through Labor)"* ClusterFBomb - "Survive" has the F word in it four times, which is a unique deviation from the band's [[PrecisionFStrike usual style]].* {{Crossover}}: With {{Flobots}}. Tim [=McIlrath=] performs the lead vocals for the group in their song ''White Flag Warrior''. * DownerEnding: ** ''Hero of War'': [[spoiler: the man in the story fails to stop his friends from committing war crimes ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything which are suspiciously similar to some committed by US troops in a certain prison in Iraq]]), and then falls to peer pressure and joins in. Later, he ends up killing a woman who was unarmed and holding a white flag. The man ends up going home, broken and defeated, with his love of country tainted by what he's seen in war.]]** ''The Approaching Curve'': [[spoiler: During an argument with the narrator, the girlfriend/wife accidentally drives their vehicle off of a cliff, killing them both.]]* DrivenToSuicide - "Heaven Knows".** Also, "Make It Stop (September's Children)", at least till the [[MoodWhiplash last chorus]]...* DualMeaningChorus - Many of their songs can be interpreted in multiple ways.* GilliganCut: "Hero of War": After the first verse and chorus, you're sure the song's about a man who's proud to be in the military. In the second verse, however, [[spoiler: he and a few fellow troops break into a civilian's house and kidnap one of her children]]. After which he [[DualMeaningChorus either]] ''[[SelectiveObliviousness still believes he'll be a war hero]]'', [[StepfordSnarker or is simply repeating the chorus sarcastically]].* HiddenTrack - There's a a rather faithful cover of Music/{{Journey}}'s "Any Way You Want It", [[MoodWhiplash of all things]] on Revolutions Per Minute, which plays about a minute after the last song ends.* InMemoriam - "Make It Stop (September's Children)" was written to address the growing problem of homophobia, and to honor the memories of those that perished in the September 2010 suicides and those who have committed suicide for bullying, for whatever reasons, throughout time. It even quotes the names of the victims: Tyler Clementi (18), Billy Lucas (15), Harrison Chase Brown (15), Cody J. Barker (17), and Seth Walsh (13). The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4clbHc4Xg video]] makes this even more apparent.* JoinTheArmyTheySaid - "Hero of War" and "Survivor Guilt"* LoudnessWar** {{Averted}} with their first two albums (on an Indie label), played straight with the rest of their discography.* LyricalDissonance - The catchy and upbeat-sounding chorus of Savior stands in sharp contrast to the desperate and rather depressing lyrics.* MeaningfulName: Former guitarist Mr. Precision.* MusicVideoOvershadowing* NewSoundAlbum - Starting with Siren Song Of The Counter Culture, they began to ramp up the political tone of their lyrics, while acquiring a more polished, mainstream sound. Opinions on this direction vary, but are generally positive.* NonAppearingTitle - Played straight in many songs, averted in others.** ''Make It Stop (September's Children)'' is half an example, as "Make it stop" is a line in the chorus, but "September's children" is not in the song.* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: ''Hero of War'' is essentially a string of these after the first chorus. * PepTalkSong - "Survive". "Halfway There".** Arguably distilled to its purest form with "Tragedy + Time".* PowerBallad - "Swing Life Away"* ProtestSong - Well, duh. Endgame, in particular, is almost a Protest ''album''. * PrecisionFStrike - "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", "Survivor Guilt", "Architects", "State of the Union," and "The Great Die-Off"** For a band whose music tackles such heavy, powerful themes, they rarely ever curse. As such, any instance where they use foul language certainly counts as a PrecisionFStrike.* SingingSimlish - Savior was in TheSims 3* SpokenWordInMusic - The verses of "The Approaching Curve". They also use clips of dialogue from ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' in "Last Chance Blueprint" and dialogue from the film Henry Fool in "Reception Fades".** There is also some dialogue in "Survivor Guilt".* StepfordSmiler - "Paper Wings" and "Audience of One"* StepfordSnarker - "Hero of War," [[DualMeaningChorus during the second chorus, possibly]].* StraightEdge - The entire band, except drummer Brandon Barnes.* SurprisinglyGentleSong - "Swing Life Away"* TakeThat - Compare the Against Me! song "I was a Teenage Anarchist" with "Architects" ** '''Against Me!:''' Do you remember when you were young? And you wanted to set the world on fire?** '''Rise Against:''' Do you remember when you were young? And you wanted to set the world on fire? Well I still am, and I still do!** "Blood Red, White, and Blue" is a pretty big TakeThat against the Bush administration.-->would God bless a murder of the innocent?\\would God bless a war based on pride?\\would God bless a money-hungry government? No!* TheRunaway - ''Paper Wings''* WanderlustSong - "Anywhere But Here" * WarIsHell* AWorldHalfFull - "Worth Dying For" and the ending to ''Endgame''.----